Following more intense layoffs and the closure of a program for budding writers, Texas Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro sharply criticized the leadership at Warner Bros. ” Told.
Since the merger, Warner Bros. Discovery, Castro said, “seems to go out of its way to make the company less inclusive,” and “has set a double standard within the company.” He also suggested that political, rather than financial, concerns have driven the recent decisions, evidence that “there is a double standard within the company.”
“So far the new @wbd has been completely hostile to content creators, creators of color, new voices trying to break into the industry, etc. The new WBD in its own way to make the company less inclusive while also getting richer out. The communities they’re sidelining,” Castro said in a twitter thread on Tuesday.
“What else for? Business model isn’t working. @WBD stock is down more than 50% after merger. So do shareholders too. Batgirl fiasco (project completed for $90M tax break) ) after content producers discussed making WBD their “final look” when pitching the studio, they continued.
“They have so far failed to fulfill (leadership) the promises they made to civil rights organizations prior to the merger regarding commitments to inclusion. They have also imposed double standards within the company,” Castro said.
“Let’s take Warner Bros. and CNN as an example,” Castro said. WB cuts projects and pre-merger staff over “quality” (profitable) concerns. Yet David Zaslav for CNN indicated that he is not concerned about ratings for now (rating = profit). Obviously Typically not, a top business side executive hired to run CNN had zero experience in the business.”
Castro’s remarks come hours after Warner Bros. Television laid off 26% of the division’s employees — 125 jobs — to lay off its digital shortform content team and kill its 40-year-old Television Writers Workshop. This workshop has long been a way for people with no family or financial access to enter Hollywood and has particularly benefited women and creators of color; Notable alumni include Regina King and Sonya Winton-Odmten and Jonathan I. Kid (“Lovecraft Country”).
Representatives for Warner Bros. Discovery did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.